In the summer of 2024, a research station will be established on Franz Josef Land in the Arkhangelsk Region to study the polar bear population and carry out geological and geophysical research. The special correspondent of RG was informed about this at the Russian Arctic National Park.

The station will be based at the Omega Field Base, which is part of the national park. Besides observing bears (to be conducted by scientists from the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution), scientists will also undertake fundamental research in geology, geophysics, seismology, permafrost science, biology, including marine biology, and hydrometeorology (tasks to be conducted by scientists from the Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth of the Russian Academy of Sciences). Equipment necessary for field research and data processing is currently being acquired for the laboratory, with scientists scheduled to arrive in August.

This is a collaborative project between the Russian Arctic National Park and the RGO. 'Establishing a permanent scientific station and laboratory within the national park is this year's priority task,' highlighted park director Alexander Kirilov.

He pointed out that the scientific station would enable not only professional scientists to work in the high-latitude Arctic but also foster the development of citizen science.